Thymus Definition
thīməs
thymuses
noun
thymuses
A gland in the upper thorax or neck of all vertebrates, involved in the production of lymphocytes: in humans, it is most prominent at puberty, after which it disappears or becomes vestigial.
Webster's New World
A small glandular organ that is situated behind the top of the breastbone, consisting mainly of lymphatic tissue and serving as the site of T cell differentiation. The thymus increases gradually in size and activity until puberty, after which it begins to atrophy.
American Heritage Medicine
A similar structure in other vertebrate animals.
American Heritage Medicine
Synonyms:
- genus Thymus
- thymus gland
pronoun
A taxonomic genus within the family Eulophidae.
Wiktionary
Other Word Forms of Thymus
Noun
Singular:
thymusPlural:
thymi, thymusesOrigin of Thymus
-
From the Modern Latin thymus, from the Ancient Greek θύμος (thumos, “warty excrescence", (also, as used by Galen) “thymus gland").
From Wiktionary
New Latin from Greek thumos warty excrescence, thymus
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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